The field of this invention relates to a device that facilitates the picking of fruit from trees and specifically the upper area of trees without requiring the use of any form of a ladder structure and also deposits the fruit within a container without causing bruising of the fruit.
The normal method of picking fruit from trees is accomplished by means of ladders in order to reach the higher areas of the tree. The use of a ladder is undesirable for several reasons. In the first place, a ladder is inherently unsafe as it is very easy for a person to fall on a ladder and injure himself. In the second place, to use the ladder requires moving the ladder frequently and walk up and down the ladder repeatedly. This is time consuming and therefore the fruit is not being picked in a most efficient manner.
It would be desirable to design some form of a fruit picking apparatus designed in particular for trees wherein the user can operate the device from the ground and thereby eliminate the use of a ladder. Additionally, the picking apparatus should operate quickly and easily and upon the fruit being removed from the tree, the fruit is conducted into a guide chute which prevents bruising of the fruit as it is being directed toward a storage container.